This invention relates to a convection oven generally and more particularly to a convection oven assembly having removable wall panels to enhance oven utility and portability.
Convection ovens are known and find utility in applications relating to food preparation as well as in various industrial uses. A few examples of the latter include the curing of foam latex products, drying molds, rubbers and the like. Since some foam latex products and molds can be large, a conventional oven of accommodating dimensions would likely be heavy and cumbersome to handle. Problems are therefore expected to arise in handling a large oven during transportation and when accessing restricted quarters. Negotiating narrow passageways and staircases would be particularly difficult in the course of installing such an oven.
Having regard to the aforedescribed problems associated with oven mobility and portability, a principal provision of the present invention is a modular convection oven that may be conveniently disassembled to facilitate transportation and to minimize storage space requirements during periods of non-use.
Another provision of the invention is a modular convection oven having removable wall panels and support stanchions that may be readily assembled and disassembled without fasteners or hand tools.
A further provision of the invention is a modular convection oven in which removal of its wall panels facilitates access to the interior of the oven for cleaning, as well as loading and removing large items.
Still another provision of the invention is a modular convection oven having substantial capacity yet is both light in weight and conveniently portable.
The problems associated with the prior art may be substantially overcome, and the foregoing provisions achieved by recourse to the invention which relates to a modular convection oven including a heat source and a hot air circulating blower comprising, in combination, a base frame adapted to support a plurality of upstanding wall panels circumscribing a close having corners, a receiver disposed on the frame proximate each corner, an upstanding stanchion releasably supported by each receiver, a wall panel disposed in releasably captive relation between each pair of opposite stanchions, and a removable cover positioned in registry with the upstanding stanchions and wall panels to define a closed heating chamber.